Drier



Julie 11, 1935. J. E. KELLEY 2,004;4ss

DRIER Filed April 29, 1935 8/1 VENTOR Patented June 11, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE John E. Kelley, Larchmont,,N. Y.

Application April 29, 1933, Serial No. 668,546

1 Claim.

' This invention relates to driers of the type used for-drying parts of the person, and particularly for drying hair, i and provides improvements therein.

In drying hair the aim is to do the drying in a minimum of time. In general this is best accomplished by providing the drier with a hood which partially envelopes the head and distributes air (usually heated) to the parts of the head corresponding to the scalp. The hair at and below the neck is however not so quickly dried, when a hood is used, as the hair around the head. Rapidity of drying the hair as a whole is therefore best accomplished by first using the hood and thereafter directing air from a delivery tube onto the parts of the hair which remain undried after the use of the hood, and driers with a delivery tube having a hood displaceably connected thereto have been provided so as to enable the several modes of drying to be performed by one drier or apparatus.

The present invention provides an improved drier. It provides a drier having a compact arrangement of fan, casing, delivery-tube and heater; and further provides a compact, stable and eflicient drier having a delivery-tube and a hood dlsplaceably connected thereto. The invention further provides a drier having a variable speed fan inwhich a resistance unitin a circuit to'the fan motor, is located in the delivery tube of the fan.

Other features of improvement are set forth in the detailed description which follows:

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. l is a side elevation showing the displaceable hood in its position of use.

Fig. 2 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in section, with the hood displaced and in the position where the air discharges directly from the delivery tube.

Fig. 3 is a diagram of the circuits of the fan motor and resistance heaters.

Referring to said drawing, numeral l0 designates a fan casing having an inlet l2 and a discharge tube l4.

Numeral l6 designates part of a stand or pedestal of a suitable type, forming the support for the drier.

Numeral 20 designates the fan, which is located within the casing l0, and is preferably of the centrifugal type. The fan 20 is preferably driven by an electric motor 22.

Numeral 26 designates a heater. The heater preferably comprises a plurality of heater-coils 26, 26 The coils 26 26 are preferably arranged in the circuit in two groups, in multiple (or it may be in more than two groups), as hereinafter more fully described.

To obtain compactness, the coils of the heater 26 are arranged proximate the fan-circle C and are preferably arranged substantially parallel to a tangent T to the fan-circle C with a substantial portion of the length thereof extending over the fan 20. The axis A of the delivery tube I4 is also preferably arranged substantially tangential to the fan-circle C, the tangent T crossing axis A. The coils of the heater 26 run diagonally across the delivery tube l4 from a point adjacent the inner end of the tube l4 toward the top center of the fan-casing, and by the arrangement described extend over the fan 20 for a substantial portion of the length thereof and are brought close to the vertical plane extending upward from the axis of the fan in a manner which is effective both from the standpoint of compactness and from the standpoint of heat-interchange. The aforesaid arrangement admits of the heater being located in a. delivery tube and at the same time the delivery tube made much shorter than heretofore with its end less than two radii of the fan from the vertical plane running through the axis of the fan. To admit of the coils of the heater 26 being assembled as a unit, the said coils may be mounted upon a diagonally sliced tube 28 which is arranged to be inserted and fastened in the delivery tube 14. The resistance coil 29 in the circuit of the motor 22, hereinafter more fully described, is also preferably mounted upon the sleeve 28. The sleeve 28 is preferably spaced slightly from the tube l4 as indicated at 30, to admit of a flow of air between the sleeve 28 and the casing I 4 to limit the heating of the latter.

Numeral 34 designates a hood adapted to partially surround the head, and to direct and distribute the air onto the hair on that part of the head corresponding to the scalp. The hood 34 is displaceably connected to the delivery tube l4 as by means of the hinge 36.

The hood is placed in communication with the delivery tube by placing it in the position as shown in Fig. 1. To deliver air directly from the delivery tube 14, the hood 34 is turned back, on the hinge 36, to the position shown in Fig. 2. It is desirable to deliver air directly from the delivery tube M to hasten the drying of parts of the hair which remain undried after the parts of the hair within the hood have been dried.

To provide for stability, the hinge 36 is so arranged that the center 0 of the hood 34, when the hood is turned back onto the casing I0, is substantially over the vertical center line of the L of said casing. The casing l0 may be provided with a cushion 38 to support the hood 34 when the latter is turned back in the position shown in Fig. 2. With a short delivery tube M, as heretofore described, and with a short funnel 40 on the hood 34, the over-hang of the hood 34 in the position shown in Fig. 1 may be very considerably reduced as compared with hood driers heretofore used. As much reduction in the hood section is effected as is obtained in the shortened delivery-tube, so that the saving in length in the delivery-tube is doubled in the overall overhang. The advantage of a short over-hang, by the construction heretofore described, may be obtained in a hood drier in which the hoodis not displaceable. portant in conserving space in beauty-parlors where space is restricted.

, A latch 42 maybe provided for holding the hood incommunication with the'delivery tube l4.

' Operation Referring to Fig.3 current is conducted to the motor 22 from oneside of the line by a lead 50. Lead 52 connects with the other sideof the line. The current inthe circuit is controlledrby switches 54 and 56 which connect with lead 52 through conductors 58, and 59'respectively.

The switch 54 has four live contacts 60, BI, 62, and 63. Contact 60 is connected with the motor 22 byaaconductorifi. The contact 6| connects the motor 22 and the group 26 of the heating coi 1s,in series, the circuit being traced as follows: switch 54, contact 6|, conductor 68, heating coils 26 and conductor 10.

The contacts 52, I53v connect'the two groups of heating coils 26 26 in multiple, with the motor 22. The contact 62. is connected with the conductor 68 which also leads to the contact 6 I, and the. circuit from the switch 54 through the group of heating c'oi1s2li to the motor 22 is the same aswhen the switch makes contactwith the contact 6|. .The circuit through the switch 54 to the motor 22 through the heating coils 26 is from contact '63, conductor 12, heating coils 26 to con- (motor 10 and by conductor 10 to the motor 22. The circuit from the switch to the motor 22 isv by contact 14, conductor I5, resistance coil 25, and conductor 16.

The short over-hang isalsowim- "contactwith the contacts 52,-63.

When it is desired to have a gentle stream of air from the drier, the switch 56 is closed. The resistance 29 is such that the motor 22 turns at a relatively low speed, and there is consequently a gentle stream of air forced'through the delivery tube by the fan 20. The incidental heat from the resistance coil 29 located in the delivery tube is transferred to the air. A gentle stream of air is desirable when it is desired to dry hair which has been waved or dressed. s

To: obtain a strong stream of warm air, the switch 54 is turned to the contaot'fil. In this position of switch 54, the motor 22 is run in 'series with the group of heating coils 26 and the air forced through the delivery tube I4 coming into contact with the coils 26 moderately heated.

'To obtain a-strongstream of air which is considerably warmed, the switch 54 is turned to make This places all ofthe heating coils of theheater-ZBin: circuit, current'iiowing to the motor 22 in multiple through the twogroups26, 26 I It will therefore be seen from the foregoing that the drierv may be usedto supply air issuing directly. from the delivery tube 1 4,: or through the hood 34. This air maybe supplied undersfour conditions: (1) :a strong stream of unheated air, when the switch 54 is on the-contact (2) a gentle stream of slightly heated warmair when theswitch 56 is onthe contact 131 (3) a strong stream of moderately warm air when the switch 54 is on the contact 1 l and (4 a strongstream. of verywarm air, when the-switch'64 is on-the contact 62, 63.- l I 3 The inventionmay receive other embodiments than that herein specifically illustrated-and described. Y V

-What claimed is: 1

A drierof thecharacter described comprising a fan casing, a rotary fan in said casing, a tangen tion :of its length diagonally across said, delivery. tube from apoint adjacent theinner'endof said tube. to a pointatthe. top of said casing adjacent a point directly oyerlthe axis ofthe fan.

' JOHN E. KELLEY, 

